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Kella-Thus
Traditionally, going back to their earliest recorded days, the Goliath of Nilgoav Island were nomads, splitting their time between the Eukathom Mountains of the island’s north and east, and the Opaleis Desert of the rest of the island. While life in the mountains was often hard, life in the desert was most often than not harsher. But, because of the dictates of Kivaki, the deity of the Goliath, chieftains ensured that tradition was upheld, and that the Goliath people wandered the deserts of the island during the winter, spring, and autumn months, and that they inhabited the islands only during the summer months. In 462, the future chieftain of the Gargun tribe, a fiery Goliath named Anumovum was born. He was born prematurely, however, and as a result, was deformed slightly. His left leg did not develop fully, and as a result, Anumovum needed to use crutches to be fully mobile. Without them, he had a great difficulty moving around. He was brought up in the traditional Goliath manner, and was groomed to become the leader of his tribe. In 497, his father died, and Anumovum became the new chieftain of the Gargun tribe of Goliath. Because of his defect, Anumovum had an interesting and unique perspective on Goliath life. Though he genuinely ascribed to many of the beliefs that the priests and priestesses of Kivaki prescribed, he did not agree with the concept of the eternal nomadic life. Those Goliath who enjoyed such a life should not be prevented from living it, but those who, for whatever reason, did not enjoy such a life should be entitled to settle down in one location permanently. Though many of his fellow tribe members did not agree, they supported their leader nonetheless. During the annual Goliath council of elders, Anumovum formally brought up this petition. Unanimously, it was shot down as being heretical and against the spirit of what the Goliath race represented. Anumovum was not to be stopped, however. Upon returning from the council, as his tribe was supposed to leave their mountain home at the end of the summer in the year 500, the chieftain declared that the tribe was not to migrate to the Opaleis Desert. Instead, their settlement, known as Kella-Thus, was to be their permanent home. Word quickly spread to the other Goliath tribes, who quickly convened and declared that the Gargun tribe was acting in a highly un-Goliath way, and as such, they needed to be stopped before they corrupted the ancient traditions and practices of the race. Among the Goliath storytellers, this conflict became known as the “War of Brothers’ Tears”. Though the Goliath sought to stop the Gargun tribe from subverting traditional Goliath values and traditions, they did so with a heavy heart. The Goliath of the Gargun tribe did not wish to fight with other Goliath either, but they needed protect themselves from the aggression of the others. As the war began, the Goliath of Kella-Thus had the advantage. Their city, built within the Eukathom Mountains, was situated in a very easily defendable position, and the Goliath themselves were fighting a defensive battle on ground they were already familiar with. During the early years of the conflict, the enemies of Kella-Thus were unable to penetrate the defenses of the city. The traditionalist Goliath soon worked this to their advantage, however. Instead of forcing their way into the city, a blockade was set up around it, preventing anything from coming in or out. As the residents of Kella-Thus began running out of edible food and water, they began becoming desperate. In the end, the war was ended when the priests and priestesses of Kivaki dealt the Goliath of the Gargun tribe a fatal blow. Channeling the power of their deity, they transformed the Gargun tribe into savage creatures, only vaguely resembling the Goliath they once were. As the creatures began panicking and fleeing, the army of traditionalists moved in, and slaughtered as many as possible, though some escaped deeper into the mountains, where they would become known as ‘Gargun’. Goliath society would return to normal, as it had been before the War of Brothers’ Tears, and Kella-Thus would be abandoned. In 640, the Dream Dwarves would resettle the abandoned city, renaming it Khajadûn. From there, ironically, they would go on to enslave the rest of the Goliath populace.